How to Apply Level 1 Octalysis to Actual Systems

Now that we have the Octalysis Framework laid out, the next step is to determine how to utilize it. Since everything a person does is based on one or more of the Core Drives, generally any engaging product or system will have at least one of the Core Drives listed above. If none of the Core Drives are present within a system, there is no motivation, and users will drop out.

The first application of Octalysis is to use it in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of various products and experiences with respect to motivation. The key here is to start thinking about how that product or experience utilizes each of the 8 Core Drives, and identify all the game mechanics and techniques that are used to activate them.

A few Gamification examples with Octalysis

Here’s an Octalysis done for a few games and online products:

As you can see from the chart, Facebook is very strong in many of the 8 Core Drives, but rather...